If You Ever Want To Be In Love
by elmccabe
Summary: A JILY one shot to the song lyrics of James Bay's song, "If You Ever Want to Be in Love"
_I'll come around if you ever want to be in love
I'm not waiting but I'm willing if you call me up  
If you ever want to be in love, I'll come around_

"James!" Lily called over her shoulder.

James turned his head over his shoulder as he exited the train at the end of sixth year. The other Marauders, the rest of the school, rushed past him to see their families, but there was Lily standing still amidst the crowd.

She allowed him a small smile and his stomach flipped over wildly. He could tell his friends were waiting for him and hers too. He waited for her to say something. She bit her lip and looked like she was having an argument with herself.

"Write me this summer, yeah?" she asked finally.

James couldn't have nodded in a more excited manner, his grin threatening to take over his whole face, "Yeah, I think I will,"

 _Wanted to ask if we could have been  
But my tongue wouldn't break the seal_

"Good summer then Evans?" James asked as they prepared for the first prefect's meeting, leaning back in his seat, chewing thoughtfully on his pen.

Lily looked up from across the compartment. Her hair had grown longer over the summer, and it was in a messy pony- tail with pieces slipping out, and her skin was a shade darker, although she would always be pale. Her mouth quirked up in a half smile that drove James wild.

"Wouldn't you know how my summer went? I recall a certain someone showing up outside my window numerous times late at night." She teased.

James laughed at that, a real laugh that took over his whole body. He and Lily had seen each other a few times over the summer, but just as friends. He had never wanted to just be with someone so bad.

"It's a nicety to ask Evans, do you have no manners?"

This time, it was she who laughed. James had never heard something so beautiful.

 _You always had something effortless  
In school, you were the biggest deal_

Lily Evans was Hogwarts royalty, but James had known that long ago. She was a prefect for years. She had top marks in class. She was head of the charms club. The professors respected her more than other students. The younger kids looked up to her. Half the blokes in the school wanted to date her. She was royalty.

He watched her sit in front of him in potions. Slughorn had drawn her aside, again, giving her a much more challenging assignment than the rest of them. She was ecstatic, naturally. He mentally berated himself. Why did he have to fall in love with the most perfect witch alive? He stood no chance.

He began his assignment but watched her out of the corner of his eye. She began her potion only to stop and help Marlene with hers. When Sirius walked up to her desk, she stopped what she was doing to joke around with him. She twisted the rings on her fingers, like she always did to concentrate, and went about at her task.

He approached her desk at the end of class, once she cleaned her area up, and pulled his body up to sit on the edge, their faces dangerously close together, "Always showing the rest of us up, Evans."

She went pink. He liked that, he decided. She was even humble too.

 _Used to talk, drink into the night  
I would wake up on the front room floor  
All alone you'd be in my bed, made me crazy  
Made me want you more_

"Evans is trashed." Remus said to James in the corner of the common room.

James lazily eyed the room and spotted Lily swing dancing, the muggle style, with Sirius. He grinned in his drunken stupor. It was all right if it was just Sirius, he and Evans got along really well for some reason. Remus nudged him again.

"James she's going to pass out any moment. Why don't you take her upstairs." Remus said and James agreed in a way he didn't seem to care either way.

But he did. He did care. He always cared when it came to her.

"Lily," he called, crossing over to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her closer. She spun around into him and both of their breathing got faster.

"Hullo James," she smiled and kissed his cheek. He reached up to feel the spot on his face her lips had brushed.

"Let's get you upstairs."

She didn't struggle when he began to walk to the boy's dorms. She laced her fingers through his. It was nice to be like this with her. She had gotten drunk a few times like this and always ended up in the boy's room. When they gotten into the dorm, Lily made a beeline for his bed, crawling under his covers. James knew it would smell like her tomorrow. When he saw her shiver he pulled off his Quidditch sweatshirt and tossed it to her. She put it on and he liked to see her in it, liked to see his name covering her tiny frame.

He transfigured a mattress on the floor next to her. He was getting ready to fall asleep when he her head peeps over the side of his mattress. He grinned at the sight of her. She studied him for a moment before lying back down. It drove him crazy to see her in his bed like that, but it was a nice crazy. It was a crazy with potential.

 _I'll come around if you ever want to be in love  
I'm not waiting but I'm willing if you call me up  
If you ever want to be in love, I'll come around_

James and Lily were sitting by the lake. They were attempting to do their history of magic essays, but couldn't concentrate. Fall was setting in, the cool air testing their concentration. The sun setting was about all they could focus on. They had been hanging out alone more and more. James knew what he wanted, knew it more than he knew himself, but didn't want to push her away. I'll always love her he thought; I'll always love you, Lily Evans.

"James," she said across from him, leaning up against a tree, her parchment sitting untouched next to her, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Lils," James said easily, wondering what she needed to know about history of magic. Her notes always were better than his.

"Why haven't you kissed me?" she said and quirked her head to the side, taking the sight of him in.

"I-what?" he asked, his heart beating nervously.

"I mean, I could be reading the situation wrong, but I _thought_ you liked me as much I as I like you." She said and her face went pink.

James didn't respond. Instead, he slowly made his way closer to her. His long fingers cupped her cheek, he could feel shaking under him, and he leaned in towards her lips. And when they finally connected, he knew, he would always come around for Lily Evans.

(The song lyrics in italics that I quoted are from James Bay's "If You Ever Want To Be In Love". It's a great song)


End file.
